EVERETT — Amy Benson and Marie Sanchez were scared and angry.
They were in a north Everett alley in November when they saw a young man light a garbage bin on fire.
They yelled at him. He shouted profanities and ran away.
Without a phone, the two Everett women found a security guard to call 911. The guard, Edgar Ochoa, moved the garbage bin away so the building wouldn’t catch fire.
Later, Benson and Sanchez helped police identify the arson suspect.
They and Ochoa were honored Thursday afternoon along with about a dozen police officers, civilian employees and members of the public at the annual Everett Police Department awards ceremony.
Each award went to someone who helped make Everett safer, Deputy Police Chief Dan Templeman said.
Other awards included volunteer Chet Brown, who has been helping Everett police for 20 years, and Officer of the Year Maryjane Hacker.
Hacker is known for her thorough investigations and for filling in as a sergeant when needed, Capt. David Fudge said.
Master patrol Officer Kelly Carman and Officer Stephen Klocker each received certificates of merit for saving an intoxicated man who insisted they shoot him, Capt. Mark St. Clair said.
The officers negotiated with the man, who was armed with a knife, for more than two hours before he surrendered.
Cheers rang out when Sgt. William Lange and Officer Mike Braley went to accept their award.
The two were called to a house fire in north Everett in November when they saw a woman trapped inside, Fudge said.
They burst in and carried the woman to safety.
It was “an exceptional act of bravery,” Fudge said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
